Alma 29:9

"I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it. I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yeah, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy."

Alma 29:9

Monday, January 18, 2016

No Effort Is Wasted!!

Hey you's guys!!

This week was a slower one, but I definitely have some highlights to share!

So, Monday night, we taught Roger and Teresa (also their kids Mercedes
and Roger--they haven't been to church in a while). AND GUESS WHAT.
Through the guidance of the Spirit, I invited them to be baptized!!!!!
It was so terrifying on my part, but I knew I needed to, so I did. We
had THE PERFECT member team-up for that lesson, and his testimony was
so powerful. We set a baptismal date for them (they really came up
with it themselves)--March 4th and Roger has committed to quit
smoking. IT WAS/IS AMAZING!!!! I was on Cloud 9. Still am, haha. The
Spirit was there, and I know it was the right time to ask them. It was
the best day ever.

On Thursday, we had Zone Training in Williamsport. It was on Preach My
Gospel planning, and it was super helpful. Sister Schofield and I have
committed to improve our nightly planning to coincide with PMG. It
will take some work, but we are ready and willing. We also watched an
amazing movie called "Freetown". (Approved by Pres, so don't worry!!)
If you haven't watched it, GO WATCH IT!!! It is seriously sooooo
good. And I felt the Spirit so strong. It was amazing.

Also, it snowed!!! Finally. But it meant we were stuck inside because
the roads were super icy. Fun stuff.

Sister Côte was admitted into the hospital, so we went to see her on
Friday. We talked with her for a little bit, and sang her favorite
hymns for her. She again had tears streaming down her face and all she
could whisper was, "Thank you." It warmed my heart like nothing else.
The Spirit filled that hospital room, and it was so beautiful. As we
sang "I Believe in Christ", the following line struck several chords
within me:

"I believe in Christ, so come what may! With Him I'll stand at that great day."

I knew in that moment that it was all going to be okay. We believe in
Christ, so it doesn't matter what happens. We will live again after
this life, and stand with Christ. Sister Côte is going to be okay.
Whether she's called Home tomorrow or in three months or whenever--it
is going to be okay. I can have complete faith and trust in the Plan
of Salvation because it is true, and it is real.

Before we saw Sister Cote in the hospital, we stopped by her house,
and Luke (her son's friend) answered the door. I asked him, "Is there
anything we can help you with or do for you?" He said, "Yeah, come on
in." He sat down, and he opened up to us. He told us he's
been struggling with several things, and could really use some prayers
right now. It was completely off-the-cuff, and I hadn't prepared
anything specific for talking with him, but I was able to testify to
him of the gospel, and the love of Jesus Christ. It was the first time
I have been able to do that without my trainer (I obviously relied on
her a lot). It felt amazing. I also gave him a Book of Mormon, and
testified to him about that book that has changed my life. I felt
prompted to, so I invited him to church . . . Fast forward to Sunday:
HE CAME AND STAYED FOR ALL THREE HOURS!!!! It made me
so happy!! We are going to meet with him this week and I am super excited!!!

This week was slow and low in numbers, which was hard to face. But I'm
doing my best to have a good attitude about it. Like Sister Schofield
said to me, "Some things just can't be measured in numbers. Like, how
many times did you feel the Spirit this week? Or, how many seeds did
you plant?" So, so true. And despite the lower numbers (because that
isn't the whole focus here), investigators are popping up out of
nowhere, which is amazing. I feel very blessed to be teaching so many
people, and I know the Lord is watching out for us. And because of
this, I know that no effort is wasted. Every person talked to, every
testimony born, every invitation extended, is effort in the Lord's
eyes. In His eyes, every little bit counts. No effort is wasted. Ever.
That is the promise I am holding on to. I am excited for this upcoming
week and what it holds in store!